Springfield – The Democrat-controlled House of Representatives passed legislation Wednesday that increases costs and red tape for law-abiding gun owners in Illinois.
State Representative Dan Caulkins (R-Decatur), a life member of the NRA, ISRA and Guns Save Life, spoke out against this infringement of our Second Amendment rights and voted against the bill on the House floor.
“Today was just a continuation of the Chicago politicians’ assault on our constitutional rights and values,” Rep. Caulkins said. “Tax hikes, abortion-on-demand, and now more limitations on our Second Amendment rights. Law-abiding citizens should not have to submit to fingerprinting, doubled FOID card fees and bureaucratic red tape to exercise their right to keep and bear arms. I voted ‘No’ on SB 1966 to protect Illinois gun owners.”
Senate Bill 1966 requires mandatory fingerprinting for all FOID and Concealed Carry License applications and renewals. It requires universal background checks through federally licensed dealers for all firearm transfers, with exceptions for family members and law enforcement. Changes to the FOID Act include the following:
- Limits the FOID card length to 5 years (currently 10 years)
- Doubles the FOID card fee to $20 (from $10)
- Provides that a live scan fingerprint vendor may not charge more than $30 per set of fingerprints
- The Illinois State Police can charge an additional fee for background checks (State and FBI background checks through live scan vendor are $28.25)
“This egregious legislation cuts the FOID card length in half, while doubling the fee,” Rep. Caulkins said. “A person who wants a FOID card to legally own a gun in Illinois may have to pay more than $100 just to exercise their Second Amendment rights. They may have to drive several hours just to find a fingerprint vendor. These limitations on the constitutional rights of our citizens are absolutely outrageous and will do nothing to keep guns out of the hands of violent criminals. The plain truth is that with SB 1966, the Democrats are punishing law-abiding citizens and that cannot be allowed. I believe this law will be challenged in the courts and will eventually be declared unconstitutional.”